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Abstract

The Jurassic Tilje Formation located on the Norwegian continental shelf contains many thick (>10 mm) and macroscopically homogenous mudstone layers. These mudstone layers are interpreted to have accumulated rapidly from “fluid-mud,” a highly concentrated aqueous suspension of fine-grained sediment. Fluid muds in the Tilje are recognized in tidal-fluvial channel, mouth-bar and distal delta-front environments. From detailed thin-section work it is clear that these mudstone layers are not homogenous. Three facies are observed: unstratified mudstone (UM), some of which contain “floating” coarse grains, planar-laminated mudstone (PLM) and cross-laminated mudstone (CLM). Each facies represents deposition at differing suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC) (UM−high SSC, PLM−low-moderate SSC and CLM−low SSC).

The thickest mudstone layers are always associated with underlying dune-scale cross-bedding, which has led to a proposed model where fluid mud can accumulate and is protected from the over-riding flow in the troughs of large dunes. This model is most relevant to tidal-fluvial channels where large dunes occur in the deepest water and in terminal distributary channels in mouth bars.

The vertical stacking of facies within a single mudstone layer allows reconstruction of changes of the near-bed SSC values and current velocities that reflect deceleration and acceleration of the tidal currents over the tidal cycle or waning wave energy following a storm. Based on repeating patters termed “vertical successions” and “succession combinations,” individual tidal cycles can be observed within single mudstone layers and the relative strength of subordinate and dominant currents can be

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inferred.

To aide in the understanding of how mud can accumulate over the complete range of SSCs, current velocities and grain sizes, a preliminary three-dimensional bedform phase diagram has been constructed for fine-grained sediment based on recent flumes studies. The phase diagram can be applied to mudrocks beyond the Tilje Formation.